Mike Nkalane
Every Saturday a group of people meet at the Castle of Good Hope to learn the Khoikhoi language, and the irony of the venue is not lost on the students who say they find the environment oppressive.
Considering the history of the castle and how badly Khoisan people were treated by the Dutch, and how they were brutally tortured in the cells, the students are decidedly dissatisfied with their surroundings.
The group has been meeting at the castle every Saturday for the past two years to be taught the Khoikhoi language by Bradley van Sitters.
On Saturday they hosted a Aba te(carry me) open day aimed at decolonising the castle, because they say the history of the castle has been distorted.
Tita ge Khoekhoegowaba! hoasa ra// kha// khasen(I am learning to speak the Khoikhoi language) students likened the castle to a South African concentration camp.
Van Sitters, a Khoikhoi language graduate from the University of Namibia,
said it was important to rename the castle so that its painful and oppressive past could be obliterated.
“Once the place is renamed in a Khoikhoi word, there will be some sort of reconciliation to us,” he said.
On Saturday people suggested renaming the castle Kui Keip(stone kraal), klip(stone) or !harab(kraal).
Built in 1679, the Castle of Good Hope’s cells served as torture chambers where the Khoisan, who were referred to as Hottentots by the Dutch, were imprisoned.
Student Rasta Afa-Necius said the place was haunted. “Our ancestors were murdered and buried here. This place is a devil. It is oppressive to be in the castle knowing its history,” he said.
Fellow student Tarryn Lawrence, 23, said if it had not been for the history associated with the castle, they would not have had to learn their mother tongue as adults. “It is because of this place that we lost our identity. Our ancestors were murdered here to make sure our history was wiped. The Dutch made sure we disintegrated,” she said.
“If language dies so does one’s culture. They used this place to kill our forefathers’ Khoikhoi language. That is why this place brings back sad and painful history.”
She said mental emancipation started by embracing culture, customs and traditions.
“African tradition is what identifies us. We have our indigenous languages created for us by God. But colonialists forced us to lose them. That is why it is important to take pride in them.”
Sitters is encouraging children of Khoisan descent to learn the language: “This is your language so it’s in your blood. Afrikaans was imposed on us by (the) Dutch. As you know, our Afrikaans is a localised version of Dutch. What does that tell you. It’s simple, this is not your language. Reclaim your identity.”
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